LiamLicks: 2022

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

All Saints Day

And the un-saintly Liam turns 15 1/4 on All Saints Day

the fact of today being All Saints Day has no relevance to Liam being 15 1/4 today

it provided a title and it is a celebratory event

if you want to know about it

here is a link

https://nationaltoday.com/saints-day/

last blog I spoke of his aging behaviors

https://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2022/07/can-you-teach-old-dog-new-tricks.html

more have appeared

unusual poses

like sitting behind the fan not in front

watching TV through the cocktail table

cocking his head in unusual ways

idling in the living room with no clear purpose

following us

coming and going all night long has ramped up

at 3 or 4 am Liam now rings the poochie bells hanging on the door knob of the side door

sometimes he goes out

sometimes not

sometimes he produces a pee and a poop

or one or the other

sometimes he eats grass

sometimes he stands in the yard

he still loves chasing his kitty sibs

see refresher story

https://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2021_09_19_archive.html

and deli food

he has developed a real obsession for it

he knows where it is

what bin

he loves it

ham, cheese, turkey

here he is resting his head on the second level of the cocktail table

he does ZOOMIES

and races around the 'hood on our walk.

pretty incredible for a senior dog who underwent TPLO surgery last spring

see refresher link

https://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2021/05/surgery-happened.html

It must be crazy to see two seniors running full speed around the neighborhood

I can still run at full speed

my only concern is that Liam stops suddenly to sniff and I face plant on the ground

so far so good

I get a lot of Fitbit steps

and the week's highlight is sharing a Starbuck's croissant with Daddy Paul

and

resting

with RBG

Happy 15 and 1/4

Liam

woof. woof

Sunday, July 31, 2022

Can you teach an Old Dog new tricks?

not in this house

not this dog

but Liam can teach his humans new tricks

My first puppy Liam attains 15 on August 1, 2022

NEW

A new trick on us is sleeping everywhere

many moves

sleeping all over

this paragraph and link address it

“The older they get, the more sleep they need, and that's OK,” says Dr. Rossman. Just like senior citizens need more sleep, an older dog sleeps a lot when compared to their younger counterparts. On the higher end of the scale, a senior dog can sleep up to 18-20 hours a day,

How Much Should Senior Dogs Sleep? | BeChewy

NEW

trying to intimidate the kitties by his beastly presence

see top photo, middle and right photo on the side

unsuccessful

the fence is the known barrier to the kitties

NEW

rolling over

rollies are slower more focused and sometimes unable to be completed

NEW

Liam is barking much more

more consistently and louder

there are reasons

this link presents them

Why Do Dogs Bark More As They Get Older - Wag!

NEW

circling

pacing

Geriatric dogs tend to walk back and forth from one spot to another due to anxiety or compulsive behavior.

link

Elderly Dog Pacing - What Does it Mean?

Dogs get old. No matter how much we take care of their health and well-being and do whatever we can to increase their longevity, old age is inevitable. And it will always manifest in different ways. One common behavioral issue in senior dogs is pacing.

Geriatric dogs tend to walk back and forth from one spot to another due to anxiety or compulsive behavior.

Older Dogs manifesting in different ways

NEW

staring

mouth open

NOT So NEW

but more aggressively pursued

hating me in the ccc

NEW

scary eyes

looking a bit demented because of his senior eyes

Lenticular sclerosis or nuclear sclerosis is the medical term for a bluish transparent haze that develops in the in middle-aged to senior dogs. This is considered a normal change in the lens associated with aging, and is observed as a cloudiness or bluish discoloration on the pupil.

link

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj2k9Xhwbz4AhW0jYkEHTWeDwMQFnoECBoQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvcahospitals.com%2Fknow-your-pet%2Flenticular-sclerosis-in-dogs&usg=AOvVaw1px9zDbPRqRLsDA1UH2Y6a

NEW

eating huge

there is no satiating Liam

link

Help! My Senior Dog has an Increased Appetite - PatchPuppy.com

we the parents who never gave him human food now do

he shares in whatever leftovers we have as well as currently consumed meals

NEW

panting

thirsting

link

Why do dogs pant?

NEW

going out multiple times a night

for no reason that we can discern

NEW

the backyard is his playground

walks in the heat are not good

the backyard has kitties and grass

mice and birds and smells

and a vantage point to yell at other dogs and owners passing by

NEW

relaxing

and looking out on the world

Happy 15th Liam

Woof, Woof

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Bionic Boy-14 3/4 Today May 1, 2022

Liam now

drinking and licking my Starbucks drink

as seen on IG and Facebook

but a year ago

Liam chased one of our ferals and incurred a serious injury

the injury happened 3/19/21

https://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2021_03_28_archive.html

Liam ran after Tabby White Foot making a right angle turn into the backyard a full speed

the turn was so fierce and sudden I knew an injury had to have resulted

his back legs were bent in a unnatural position, the left leg being the pivot leg ripped

https://gardencityvet.com/

our regular Vet Dr Polley saw Liam on Wednesday and Thursday March 24th and 25th

He did blood work to make sure Liam is okay for surgery

sedated him for X rays

blood work okay

took two days because Liam was traumatized by the attempts at X rays

It seems like surgery is the way to go

Injury severe yet common and easily fixable

it is a cranial cruciate ligament CCL tear like the ACL in humans

here is some info

https://familyvetcare.com/cranial-cruciate-ligament-ccl-repairs-faq/

If not fixed arthritis may set in and really hobble Liam

The kneecap no longer anchored

Bone on bone

leg will wobble as he walks

Will exacerbate further if he runs

then transfer to right leg as he puts weight on that to relieve his left leg discomfort

and totally incapacitate him

and so it happened

the surgery 4/20/21

a refresher link to original story

https://liamlicks.blogspot.com/2021_05_16_archive.html

and in the year since Liam is still running and the tabbies are still escaping

The tabbies

Tabby White Foot Tabby Red

Tabby Bold Tabby Pink Nose

Colin Tabby Bent Ear

an anonymous animal activist had 5 of them neutered,,,we did Colin,,,one or two would disappear for a few days and then return with tipped ears...the sign to the world that a cat has been fixed.

Thank you to whomever did that.

they have evolved in their coexistence

the kittens have given him a new found love of exploring the yard and using his hound sniffing talents and they have worked out their own early warning system for when Liam propels out of the side door. He actually is slowed down in propelling by me.his warning is that he banged his head, they hear it and scatter in several directions

front fence, backyard, side

Next photos

1-Liam looking for the tabbies figuring if he waits by their bowls he will eventually catch one

has not happened

in fact Tabby Pink nose has refused to move from her perch on the backyard bench and Liam has approached then turned away

I think if everyone stops running there will be a calm accepting coalition

2-Liam trying to stick his hard head in the newly acquired tabby cabin he cannot and they know it

we have my creation out front and this prefab Amazon special on the side

Liam waiting by the tabby bowls

Liam looking in the tabby cabin

I know the tabby presence joy enhances his day and adds quality time to his senior life as the search is part of it

some Liam current life photos

he now watches TV through the lower ledge of the living room table

we include in his food whatever we have are having and mix with his dog food

he also occasionally get special lamb treats from our Fridays at Crabtree's

here he is with a lamb shank

Lamb shank from Crabtree's

March and April 2022 photos

Liam outside

mistaken for a puppy again this week

Liam, RBG and his wolfie

howling with joy of life

celebrating being 14 /34

being a TPLO poster boy

"The lone wolf dies

but the pack survives"

Game of Thrones

Woof woof

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Half Birthday

Liam has had them for 14 years...birthdays...

they have been announced, documented, celebrated

his birth date is August 1, 2007

and

when I attended school those with summer birthdays observed what were called half birthdays...those who had birthdays during the school year were feted with cakes, singing, corsages from classmates... those with summer birthdays were left out...an event device was introduced to fix that...

The half birthday-

mine is February 9th